Northborough weighs bridge options

Friday

Aug 29, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Jonathan PhelpsDaily News Staff

NORTHBOROUGH — Town officials are working with engineers on plans to possibly install a temporary bridge over Hop Brook on Otis Street.In the meantime, the bridge remains closed.Earlier this month, inspections by the town Department of Public Works and the state Department of Transportation determined the bridge can’t support vehicle traffic."I am working with a temporary bridge company as well as a structural engineer on a temporary solution," said Dan Nason, director of public works.In April, Town Meeting approved $110,000 for engineering and design to replace the bridge. An additional $900,000 to $1 million will need to be approved by Town Meeting for the actual work.Nason said the bridge would have needed to be closed at some point during the construction, but it wasn’t planned for so early.In July, a sewer line was struck as crews were installing borings to test the soil as part of the engineering work. It turned out to be a gravity sewer line not in use, and was quickly repaired, he said.Nason said the sewer work did not damage the bridge, but he called in MassDOT to take a closer look."It spiked my concerns about the safety of the whole bridge," he said.After inspection, MassDOT officials recommended reducing traffic to one lane over the middle of the bridge."The outside edges aren’t safe," Nason said.Nason said to keep the one lane open the town would need to rent expensive temporary traffic lights. Instead, the town has decided to pursue a temporary bridge to keep the two lanes.A temporary bridge can be rented for half the price of the traffic light equipment, he said."It makes financial sense and we’ll have both lanes," he said.Nason said he hopes the foundations for the temporary bridge can be used for the permanent structure. Engineers are working on both the temporary and permanent plans at the same time."Our structural engineers said they are confident this can be done," he said.While Otis Street is a back road, it is a major link between much of Northborough and Rte. 9.John Parks, owner of Armeno Coffee, said three or four customers a day complain that they can’t get to the shop from Rte. 9.He said he can't determine how many customers go elsewhere. He said town officials said it could be six to eight weeks before the bridge reopens."It is hurting our business," he said. "We’ve been trying to tell our customers through social media. Most of our regular customers are used to this because we’ve been through it before."In July 2012, businesses worried about the road being reduced to one-way going toward Rte. 9 for a sewer main project.Nason said the work will be done in phases, but the cost and timeline are still being determined.Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 508-626-4338 or jphelps@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JPhelps_MW.

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